The present invention relates to a device for the aeration and/or decanting of liquids stored in containers, and particularly to a device for use with wines and spirits.
It is important for liquids, such as wines and spirits, to breath/aerate sufficiently before human consumption to enhance the flavour of the same. Conventionally wines and spirits are aerated by manually decanting the liquid from one container to another. This is a time consuming operation and needs to be performed well in advance of consumption of the liquid. Alternative methods are sometimes used but none adequately aerate the liquid without undergoing lengthy aeration processes.
An object of the present invention is to provide a device which allows liquid stored in a container to be aerated quickly and thoroughly before use.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device which can be used to decant liquids from one container to another container both quickly and easily.
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a device for aerating a liquid stored in a container, said device comprising a tube member having a first opening for insertion into the liquid in the container, and a second opening for location above the surface of the liquid for exposure to the atmosphere or connection to a gas, said tube member communicating with a pump means such that upon activation of said pump means, air or gas is pumped, along said tube member and into said liquid, thereby aerating said liquid without the same leaving the container.
Preferably the pump means forces atmospheric air to the bottom or near to the bottom of the container and is allowed to gently bubble to the surface, thereby ensuring that all the liquid in the container is thoroughly aerated.
According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided an air-decant device for aerating a liquid stored in a container, said device comprising a tube member having a first opening for insertion beneath the surface of the liquid in the container, and a second opening for location above the surface of the liquid for exposure to the atmosphere, said tube member communicating with a pump means such that on activation of said pump means liquid is pumped from said container and out of said second opening end, and said liquid is directed back into said container thereby allowing aeration of said liquid.
Preferably the directing means is a funnel means and in one embodiment it has attachment members for location in or on a container.
In one embodiment a surface is provided over which the liquid can flow after leaving the second opening of the tube member prior to being directed back into the container via the funnel means. The surface can be any suitable shape for providing aeration of the liquid, for example, a dome shaped surface, a cone shaped surface, a spiral shaped surface, a stepped surface or the like can be used.
Alternatively, a nozzle can be provided on the second end of the tube member, which sprays the liquid or forms a dome shaped type flow of liquid and which can then be directed back into the container via the funnel means.
Preferably a deflector cap is provided at the second open end of the tube member to aid the flow of liquid towards the funnel means.
In one embodiment an attachment member and/or further tubing can be provided for location at the second end of said tubing member to allow liquid to be decanted from the container to a different container.
Preferably a filter/air diffuser is provided at the first end of said tube member.
The pump means can be electrically operated from the mains, battery operated and/or mechanically operated.
Preferably the pump means is contained at least in part within a housing to protect the pump mechanism from the liquid. The housing can provide the surface over which the liquid flows after leaving the second end of the tubing member. Alternatively the housing is provided in addition to the surface over which the liquid flows.
The tubing member can be a single piece construction and be a pre-determined length, suitable for a particular container. Alternatively the tubing member can comprise a number of elements which are telescopically joined, thereby allowing the length of the tubing member to be altered to fit various sized containers having variable levels of liquid contained therein and also for ease of storage.
The same pump means can be used to pump air into the container and pump liquid out of the container.
According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided an air-decant device for aerating a liquid stored in a container, said device comprising a tube member having a first opening for insertion beneath the surface of the liquid in the container, and a second opening for location above the surface of the liquid for exposure to the atmosphere, said tube member communicating with a pump means and bubble chamber such that on activation of said pump means liquid is pumped from said container into said bubble chamber, said liquid subsequently directed back into s aid container.
In one embodiment said pump means contained within a housing and said housing communicating with the bubble chamber.
The second open end of the tube member is located in said bubble chamber and is provided with a bubble nozzle. The bubble nozzle forms a bubble of liquid, thereby allowing the liquid to be gently exposed to the air before being returned to the container, typically via a funnel means.
Preferably the bubble chamber is made from a transparent material and is provided with a lid.
It will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that any combination of the described embodiments can be combined to provide a device falling within the scope of protection of the present invention. The present invention has the advantage that the container of liquid can be aerated or decanted from one container to another container both quickly and easily. This would allow the user to open and thoroughly breath a bottle of wine minutes before the wine is needed.